The Dragon Awakes
by The Doctor's Dragon
Summary: Angel Destler, the only Dragon left in existence travels with her two best friends, Rose Tyler and The Nineth Doctor. There will be love, loss, jelousy and a few villians that will scare the pants off you. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

The Dragon Awakes - Doctor Who AU

AN: Doctor Who does not belong to me, Angel however, does. This story is ongoing on Tumblr with my rp partner, Tessa.

Chapter 1

A young woman rode through the streets of London on the back of a custom Harley Davidson soft-tail. She wore a black duster, a dark t-shirt, a pair of dark jeans and black combat boots. She stopped at a light, waiting. She looked over to her left, seeing multitudes of people coming and going. One stood out though, a blonde young woman. 'No, it couldn't be.' She looked closer to the woman and smiled big, it was, it was Rose Tyler, her best friend.

Rose was having a bad day. She was tired; her mind was elsewhere as she walked aimlessly through the streets of London. She'd had to get out of the house; the small apartment had felt like it was suffocating her, and her mother's endless jabbering about little insignificant things hadn't helped. Rose had enough awareness to stop when the light was red, and then was startled out of her reverie by the loud roaring of a motorbike on the road right next to her. She looked up to see a familiar face grinning widely at her.

The young woman smiled big.  
"Rose Tyler!" She drove over, parking her bike and slid off the back. The young woman was Angel Destler, a second leftenant, and an american. "Rose Tyler! My word, look at you!" She hugged her tightly, they had gone to high school together.  
"Angel! Oh my god, I hardly even recognised you!" Rose exclaimed, hugging back her friend. She laughed, smiling at her, taking in the sight of her best friend. Rose was momentarily at a loss for words. "How've you been?" she asked, saying the first generic question that sprang to her mind. Angel laughed.

"I'm fine, never better. Finally home from basic training, check it out." She pulled her dog tags out from under her shirt, smiling to her. 'Second Leftenant, Angel Destler' it read. "Now how are you? You kinda dropped off the face of the planet after you dropped out, you said you'd stay in touch." She didn't blame Rose for dropping out, hell, she would have too had her brother not said he'd kick her ass if she did.  
Rose fingered the dog tags with wonder.

"Wow, I never would've expected…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "It's so good to see you again, Ange, really." Rose smiled, then bit her lip, wondering how to address her next question. "For a while I just lazed around, I guess… then Mum made me buck up and get a job. I worked at a shop for a while, then I started.. travelling." Rose's cheeks turned pink, and she tried to think of a way she could explain everything the Doctor was and had done for her. "D'you wanna come over?" Rose invited her, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the apartment. "I think Mum's gone out for the rest of the day; we could catch up?"

"Course I want to come over! Come on, get on." She patted the back seat of the motorcycle. Angel smiled at Rose's face, though the pink flush to her cheeks meant Rose was lying to her, though Angel didn't question it, she knew Rose had her secrets; hell, she did as well. She waited for Rose to get on, and when she did, Angel told her to hold on tight. She revved the engine, putting the kickstand up and headed towards the apartment.  
She rode towards the apartment, pulling into the courtyard about ten minutes later, parking near the door. She put the kickstand down and turned the bike off, standing up and got off the bike, her long hair in a braid, tied off with a little strip of leather. Her duster jingled a bit as she fixed it, smiling to Rose.

Rose took off the helmet, running her fingers through her messed up blonde hair. She grinned at Angel.  
"This way, then," she said, leading the way up the stairs. "Mum?" she called out, entering the apartment. She was greeted with silence, and Rose nodded towards Angel. "Come on in; place to ourselves." She smiled. "D'you fancy a cuppa tea?" Rose asked, setting down her bag on the couch and heading for the kitchen. "Jus' make yourself comfy."  
Angel removed her boots before stepping inside, having them in her hand. She set them next to the door, removing her duster, placing it on a hook behind the door. She moved into the living room.

"Cup of tea sounds good actually." She sat down on the couch, looking around. "Its not changed since I was here last." That had to have been….three…no four years ago, when they were still in school together. "Rose, your Mom, she still doesnt like me does she?"  
Rose grimaced, bringing in two cups of tea and setting them down on the coffee table.  
"You caught onto that, did you?" She sat back on the couch, looking at Angel. Rose chuckled. "You've changed Ange….. I just can't figure out how. It's different; I just can't quite put my finger on it," she said, blowing softly on her hot drink. "So what made you want to go into the army? Never would've picked it when we were at school," she commented.  
Angel took the tea, sipping it slowly.

"I wanted to do some good in the world, protect it, protect its citizens in anyway that I could, joining the army was the only thing I could think of." She was indeed different, in many ways. She smiled to Rose, "So you said you had been traveling, traveling where exactly?" Just as Angel asked that, someone put their key in the lock of the front door and unlocked it, Jackie Tyler coming in and Angel, swallowed a bit, if there was one woman she feared the most in the entire cosmos, it was Jackie Tyler, Rose's mother.  
Rose quickly sprang to her feet, almost thankful for the interruption meaning she didn't have to immediately answer Angel's question. She met her mother in the hallway before she could enter the living room and see Angel.

"Mum, could you give us a few minutes?" she said breathlessly, ignoring Jackie's look of confusion.  
"Rose, what're you on about?" Jackie protested as her daughter steered her towards her bedroom.  
"Just a few minutes Mum, 'kay, please?" Rose shut the door and went back out to see Angel and grinned. "Don't worry, you're safe; we've got a minute. Damn, I thought she'd be gone for longer. Scratch this place; let's go somewhere, yeah?" She ushered Angel out the door, grabbing her key. "Goin' out Mum, bye!" she called. Internally, Rose mulled over how long she had... the Doctor had said 36 hours maximum for the TARDIS to charge up. He'd taken it to Cardiff, but Rose had wanted to spend some time with her mum. Ha, Jackie had driven her mad after a couple of hours. She had until four that afternoon until he came back, and Rose bit her lip, wondering how she'd explain him to Angel.

Angel moved to the front door, stepping into her boots and grabbed her duster, stepping outside. She put her duster over the railing, tying her boots before standing and grabbed her duster, putting it on.  
"I think your Mom still blames me for you dropping out honestly Rose. Come on, lets head to my place." She walked down the stairs to her motorcycle, tossing the helmet to Rose, getting on. She pulled her keys out, starting her bike and drove off. They headed out of the city towards the mountains, towards Angel's home.  
She and her family had a bit of land, that Angel had inherited when her parents had been killed in a train accident. She pulled up to the large gate and put in a code, the gates swinging open and they moved though them up to the large castle like house. It was an old red brick house, but it was solid, with a two car garage, a very large front yard. The back was even bigger, an acre or two at least, with woods beyond that.

"Well she's gotta learn I made my own choice then, don't she?" Rose said, winking and climbing on the back of the motorbike. Rose clung to Angel as they sped through the streets, finally arriving at Angel's house. "Wow, forgot how awesome this place was," she said, voice raised above the bike as they rode up the drive and stopped outside the garage. The roaring finally stopped; her ears were ringing. Rose clambered off the motorbike and teetered, almost falling over; her legs had gone all wobbly from being on the bike too long. "That must take some getting used to," she said breathlessly, her cheeks flushed pink as she pulled off the helmet. Then she smiled at Angel.  
Angel laughed, watching Rose wobble some when she got off the bike. She slid off the bike, stretching.

"You'll get use to it." She moved to the garage, pulling it up and rolled her motorcycle inside, next to her mustang. She headed inside with Rose, her two large hunting dogs coming to greet them when they came in. "Sit!" The two large dogs sat obediently. "Rose, meet Leo and Miko." The two large dogs where italian wolf hounds and they looked like small horses, but they were the most loyal dogs she had ever had.  
Her home was HUGE, but it was also very homey and lived in. There were various pictures of her friends and family on the walls. From the kitchen it branched off into a formal dining room and from there it went into the living room. The living room was huge. It housed a large couch, a love seat and an armchair. There was a coffee table with books and a few other miscellaneous items, along with a sketchbook, it was Angel's.  
There were a few swords along the walls, along with two staffs. There was a large flatscreen television to one side of the living room, along with a few gaming systems. Out back, there was a large pool and beyond that, was a HUGE spread of land, along with the woods beyond that.

"Oh aren't you two the cutest!" Rose exclaimed, kneeling down and patting the dogs' heads each in turn. "They're gorgeous," she said earnestly to Angel, who was watching with an amused expression on her face. "And so is your place; it always feels bigger every time I come here!" Rose stood up and followed Angel towards the lounge, admiring the decorative elements all over the walls. She spied Angel's familiar sketchbook on the table but didn't want to pry, so she left it alone. "You still living alone then? Or have you got a roommate?" Rose had slipped off her shoes at the front door, and she pressed her toes into the thick carpet and made herself at home on the couch.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"No, no room mate, you know me, I prefer to live alone. Although…" She smiled to Rose. "If your mom is driving you nuts you are more than welcome to move in here, I have more than enough room." She smiled to her. It would be nice to have her best friend there with her.  
Internally Rose sighed. I suppose I'd better get it over with...  
"I'm not actually living at home anymore," she said with a small smile. "I was just home visiting today... I'm still travelling, actually." Rose waited for the question that would inevitably come, using the last few seconds she had to try and think of a way to explain the Doctor without making it sound creepy, that she was travelling the universe with a 900-and-something year old alien. She's going to think I'm crazy, Rose thought, and mimicking Angel, curled up and tucked her feet under her.  
"Oh are you still traveling? Well my offer still stands for you Rose. Now, who are you traveling with, I know you're not traveling alone, that's not you." Angel knew Rose all to well, plus, the male's scent was all over her. "Who is he, Rose." She looked to the young woman, she wanted to know if the man she was traveling with, was safe to be around, and if Rose was safe, she was her best friend.

Rose smiled.

"Thanks, Ange." She paused. "The guy, well..." Rose was still struggling to find words. "Well for starters, his name is the Doctor. He saved me; I mean, literally. You remember when all the plastic came to life a while back?" Rose waited for Angel's nod before continuing. "I was at the start of it, and he saved me from them. We stopped them... and then he invited me to travel with him." Rose stared out the window and smiled faintly at the memory. She'd almost said no. How lucky he came back for her. "We travel.. everywhere Ange. He's..." she took a deep breath. "Not human. Looks it, but he's not. He's got a ship; it has a disguise like a police box, and we travel through time, and space." Realising she was bombarding her best friend, Rose stopped suddenly and glanced back at Angel with a nervous expression.  
Angel looked to Rose when she told her who The Doctor was. She grabbed her sketchbook from off the table and opened it, flipping through the pages, coming to a page and showed Rose.

"This him?" There was something Angel wasnt telling her, something…..big.  
Rose grabbed the sketchbook off her friend and examined the picture. It was the Doctor. Her mouth slowly fell open as she tried to understand...  
"Angel, wha... how?" Rose looked at her friend, confused. "You've met the Doctor?" Looking back at the picture, Rose couldn't believe it. A small part of her noticed how Angel's drawings had improved over the years (she'd always had issues drawing people) but most of her mind was consumed with how accurate the drawing was of her Doctor.  
Angel stood slowly, moving to one of the back windows.

"Do you remember when my parents where killed in the train accident our freshmen year of highschool? When I disappeared for about a year?" She sighed gently, trying to ignore the memory coming up. "I will never forget the day I met him. I was ready to just end it, end my life. I was on the bridge not to far from here, ready to jump when he found me. He talked me down, it took him about an hour to do so. He took me out to see the stars in that blue box of his, he listened to me, comforted me." She turned to Rose, "He made me better, he…..he saved my life, in every way possible."

Angel's admission startled Rose so much it brought tears to her eyes, and she momentarily forgot all about the Doctor.  
"You were going to kill yourself?" she whispered, clenching her fists so she wouldn't cry, so hard her knuckles were white. The guilt of leaving Angel, not realising how much her best friend has still been hurting came at her like a tsunami, and the tears spilled over anyway. Rose hastily brushed them away. "I'm so sorry, Angel..." Rose glanced again back at the drawing of the Doctor, fingering his penciled face. "He makes everyone better," she murmured softly. Then she shoved it aside. Rose stood, went over to her best friend and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm sorry," she said again, trying hard to hold back her tears.  
"Had he not come across me that day, I wouldn't be here right now, I owe him my life Rose. Now that I know you are traveling with him, I have no doubt that you are safe with him, he will protect you above all else. Don't blame yourself for my transgressions Rose, you didn't know what pain I was in, I hid it from you." She moved over to her, hugging her best friend tightly.

Rose sniffed, and brushed away her tears again.  
"I've never felt safer than when I'm with him," she admitted, pulling away from Angel. "Even though we've done some crazy stuff; been in absolutely impossible situations... I don't know. Mum doesn't get it; she doesn't understand how I can stay with him and still be happy, but now I can't imagine life without him." Rose sat back in her seat, tucking her legs underneath her again. "Exploring, helping people, saving civilisations... it's all worth the danger just to be with him." Rose hadn't meant to say that much out loud, but when she looked at Angel again, her best friend was smiling at her.  
Angel was indeed smiling. Rose loved the Doctor; it was very clear to see.  
"Have you told him yet Rose?" She curled her legs under her, "Have you told the Doctor you loved him yet? If not, you need to, sooner rather than later." Angel heard a clap of thunder in the distance, looking over at the back windows, it had gotten darker. "Ooh, storm's coming in."

Blood and heat rushed to Rose's cheeks, blushing them red.  
"I'm not in love with him!" she protested automatically, avoiding Angel's eyes. "I don't; we're just good friends, we... an' even if I did, then that wouldn't work then, would it?" Rose fidgeted with her nails, tempted to bite them. "I mean, he's over 900 years old; I'm jus' grateful he's allowed me to stay with him. We're jus' friends," she said again, almost trying to convince herself. She eyed the dark clouds out the window and shrugged. "He's supposed to be back around four," Rose said nonchalantly. "He can jus' come get me from here if the weather gets too bad."

Angel smiled at Rose, she was in love with the Doctor and she didn't even know it. She chuckled as a clap of thunder boomed, rattling the windows.  
"Rose, tell me this, when you're with the Doctor, does it feel like your heart is gonna burst out of your chest when he talks? Or when he talks a mile a minute, even though you cant understand him, your eyes settle on his lips? Do you catch yourself staring at him when he's bent over the TARDIS working?"  
"Well... we.. I.. we're really good friends," she defended, looking away. Rose didn't even want to admit to herself that everything Angel had just described was perfectly accurate. Rose knew that the moment she got too domestic for the Doctor, he would drop her off back at the Powell Estate, and she was more terrified of that than she cared to admit. "You've met the Doctor, you know how he is," she said to Angel, trying to steer the conversation away from herself. "He's... indescribable. He's infuriating and stubborn and kind and broken..."

Rose shook her head, shaking herself out of her reverie, and she noticed her heart was pounding at just the thought of him. She barely noticed rain starting to pelt the window. "Oh my god..."  
Angel chuckled.  
"You love him." She got up, moving to the kitchen to make them something to drink, and get some candles just in case the power went out. "What would you like to drink Rose? I've got sweet tea, soda, and water, milk. I could make us some hot chocolate. I also have coffee."  
"Hot chocolate sounds good," Rose replied distractedly, her mind still full of thoughts of the Doctor, and how she could've missed what was right in front of her. She got up and followed Angel to the kitchen, sitting at one of the stools. "Ange, what do I do?" she asked desperately. "He's not gonna want me, he hates domestic stuff and being ... in love with him..." her words sent a shiver up her spine, ".. being in love with him is about as domestic as you could get!" Rose was slightly panicky; she couldn't bear to be sent home. Living in the flat after seeing the universe... she would go crazy. At first Rose thought she was imagining it, but the big thud at the end proved it; the sound of the TARDIS arriving in the front hall. Turning back from the direction of the sound, Rose shot a look at Angel. "He's here!" she whispered.

Angel got two cups out, along with the hot chocolate. She started boiling the water.  
"Now hang on a minute Rose, how do you know that he isn't feeling the same things you are? Have you caught stolen glances from him? When he hugs you, does he bury his face in your hair? Let me guess, your hands, they fit perfectly together don't they?" Who knew Angel was such a good match maker. She looked up, hearing the TARDIS engines and frowned, they were…really close, they sounded like they were in her foyer.  
She moved to the foyer and her eyes widened as the big blue police box appeared in her front hallway.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

She watched as the door to the blue box opened, and, out stepped The Doctor, clad in a leather jacket, a dark maroon t-shirt, dark jeans and his boots. "Doctor." Angel breathed gently.

"Angel!" Rose practically hissed, and rolled her eyes, going after her friend. She found them both standing in the foyer, the Doctor with a slightly confused, nonetheless happy look on his face. "Hello, Doctor."  
"We're all charged up!" the Doctor exclaimed happily, his northern accent thick. "And Rose! You never told me you knew Angel; how do you know 'er?"  
Rose grinned suddenly, nervousness forgotten in the ease of their usual banter. "Oh, you're not so impressive when I know more than you, ae?" she teased him. She moved to stand beside Angel and linked arms with her. "Angel here's my best friend; we went to high school together, 'cept we kinda lost touch when I dropped out..." Rose shot an apologetic look at Angel. "Again, sorry 'bout that."  
"Well, tha' worked out well, then!" The Doctor grinned excitedly and rubbed his hands together. "Shall we be off?" He nodded towards the TARDIS and patted her side. "She's all ready to go."

Angel smiled to The Doctor, he hadn't changed one little bit. Still the same old Time Lord she remembered.  
"You guys cant leave yet, come on, its been years since I've had anyone else in the house. At least stay until the storm stops." She looked to the Doctor, "You haven't seen my home have you? Come on, I've got hot chocolate."  
"I don't do dome-" The Doctor started to protest, but Rose silenced him with a look. Angel left, heading back to the kitchen, and Rose punched him lightly on the shoulder.  
"Come on, one hot chocolate won't hurt; plus, she's my best friend," she told him. "Don't be rude. Let's just stay, for a little bit. Please?" She widened her hazel eyes up at him hopefully, giving him a big smile, her tongue poking out from between her teeth. The Doctor rolled his eyes exasperatedly.  
"Fine," he sighed, and allowed Rose to lead him by the hand into the kitchen. "One hour. Got it?" Rose just chuckled; they would definitely be there longer than one hour, and they both knew it.

Angel poured the boiling water into the now three cups of hot chocolate, looking up when Rose and The Doctor came in, hand in hand and she smirked, stirring the hot chocolate slowly.  
"Rose, you want milk in your hot chocolate? Doctor?" Leo and Miko were watching the Doctor's every move.  
"Milk for both, please," Rose responded easily, glancing up at the Doctor for confirmation. He wasn't paying attention; it seemed he was in a staring contest with the two dogs. Rose went to sit on a stool next to Angel, watching him.  
"What're you lookin' at, then?" the Doctor questioned the dogs, and Leo barked twice. The Doctor gave an affronted look. "I did not! They made me!" he said, sounding offended as he gestured towards Rose and Angel, who were watching the exchange with amused expressions. Miko barked this time, then Leo again, and the Doctor held up his hands in gesture of surrender. "Only an hour, I swear it," he told them, nodding. The dogs stalked off, shooting him twin wary glares. Rose burst out laughing.  
"You speak dog?" she asked in between laughs. The Doctor managed to look highly offended at her laughing at him, and also grin in delight at the smile that lit up her face.  
"Yes, I do," he replied, sounding dignified. "TARDIS taught me." He eyed a cup. "That mine?"

Angel chuckled, shaking her head some at the Doctor. He never failed to amaze her, after knowing him for as long as she had.  
"Yeah, it's yours Doctor." She took the whipped cream out, putting some in her cup, along with some marshmallows. She passed Rose both, seeing the Doctor looking through her sketchbook.  
"Come on, then," Rose said to him, tugging on his leather jacket. She picked up their two cups and brought them over to the couches, setting the Doctor's down on the coffee table and keeping hers close, warming her hands on it.  
"These are good," the Doctor commented, following Rose absentmindedly and sitting close beside her on the edge of the couch, back straight.

He squinted at the page. "Is my nose really that big?"  
Rose giggled and nudged him with her foot.  
"Stop being nosy and drink your hot chocolate; who said you could look in there?" she admonished, slipping it from his hands and placing it closed beside her. He took his cup but didn't drink any, and just sat there, awkwardly. Rose had to stifle another giggle. "You really don't like domesticity , do you?"  
Angel put the milk away, coming out to the living room as…a lightning bolt struck a tree near the house, making Angel jump.  
"Good grief!" She sat down on the couch, chuckling at the Doctor. "Take a drink Doc, come on, its good, I promise." She hated to admit it, but she had missed The Doctor, with him in her home, it just felt…right.

Rose flinched at the lightening too, able to see it clearly from where she was sitting. The Doctor frowned at Rose, eyed his drink and took a sip tentatively. A grin spread across his face.  
"That stuff is fantastic!" he exclaimed, and took another sip. Rose chuckled quietly and sipped her own drink, watching the rain steadily pound against the windows. "So, Angel," the Doctor said conversationally, looking around the room. "What've you been doing the past few years? You're lookin' better than the last time I saw you." His gaze turned somewhere between stern and concerned.

Angel chuckled at his reaction to the hot chocolate.  
"I've been doing well, I actually just came home from overseas. You're looking at a second leftenant in the Marines." She lifted her dogtags out from under her shirt, tossing them to him as she took her sketchbook from Rose, putting it back on the table.  
He caught them with one hand and examined them, looking surprised.  
"Good for you, then," he commented, lightly tossing them back. The Doctor seemed to have exhausted his supply of conversation starters, and for a while the only sound in the room came from the rain, thunder, and Rose softly blowing on her hot chocolate. There would be a flash of lightening every so often, and it would send a chill down her spine; she loved insane weather but only when she was inside and protected from the elements.

Angel caught her tags, putting them back on.  
"Doctor" she looked to him. "I know you don't do domestics, but, would it be alright, if I come with you and Rose? I miss that life, and I miss my best friend, both of them." She looked to Rose and to The Doctor. "So would it be alright if I come with the both of you?"  
Angel really hoped the Doctor would let her travel with him and Rose, she missed them, both of them. She had the training and the skill that the Doctor knew he needed, hell, he'd seen it himself when she traveled with him before. She was good with electronics and could hack into anything, hell, she almost did it to the TARDIS.

Rose turned to the Doctor hopefully, pulling puppy eyes at him.  
"Yes come on, Doctor, please?" she said, her excitement at the prospect lighting up her face. The Doctor rolled his eyes, shrugged nonchalantly, then grinned at the two of them.  
"Course, why not?" he said with a wide grin, slightly bemused at their excitement. Then he frowned. "But no more domestics," he conditioned, his gaze sweeping the room again. "I can barely sit still." He placed his empty cup on the coffee table and jumped to his feet, holding a hand out to Rose. "Come on then, we 'aven't got all day!"  
"Oi, watch it, Doctor!" Rose gasped; she almost lost the remnants of her hot chocolate over the couch as the Doctor pulled her to her feet.

Angel smiled to The Doctor.  
"Thank you Doctor, so much." She stood, going to make a few calls so her home and her dogs would be taken care of. "I'm gonna head upstairs and pack. Rose, care to join me?" She then moved upstairs to pack her clothes. She also packed her wolf blanket, rolling it up and stuffing it into the bag. She pulled a few…..throwing knives from a secret compartment in her closet, along with a sword and a collapsable staff. She hid the sword as Rose came into help.  
"Behave," Rose told the Doctor with a grin, pointing at him, and followed Angel upstairs. Entering her best friend's room, she slowed, examining the old snapshots from their days at high school. She fingered a framed one; both girls were younger and grinning carelessly at the camera. "We're both so different now," Rose murmured, caught up in memories. She went over to Angel, who was just zipping up her bag. "Here, I'll take this down to the TARDIS and you sort out whatever you need to for the dogs." Rose hooked her arm through the straps and heaved it onto her back, shooting Angel a confused look when the sound of metal clinking together came from the pack.

Angel didn't answer, moving back downstairs to take care of Leo and Miko. She let them out to use the bathroom, then let them back in, telling them to stay when they got to their beds. She moved to the front hallway, grabbing her duster and put it on, along with her boots. She tied her boots and stepped into the TARDIS, smiling to Rose and The Doctor.  
Rose grinned back, tongue in teeth, and hopped up onto the jump seat, watching the Doctor bustle around the console. "Where we off to then, Doctor?" she asked, swinging her legs.  
"Thought we'd stick her on random," the Doctor said. Then he grinned. "Unless you have a suggestion?"  
Rose shook her head. "Nope, random's fine by me. Oh and Angel, I put your bag over there," she told Angel, pointing to one of the coral supports. "It's really heavy," she added, seeing if Angel would comment.  
Angel smiled, seeing her bag.  
"Thanks Rose." She moved to her bag, patting the coral strut gently, hearing the TARDIS groan in response. "Yes its good to see you too. Where did you put my room this time?" The TARDIS groaned, Angel nodded. "Near the library, perfect spot, thanks girl." She picked her bag up, heading out of the console room and down the hall, out of sight.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

She found her room and moved inside, the lights coming up. The carpet was a dark blue and was feather soft. There was a table in the middle of the room and a desk off to one wall. To the other side of the room was a large queen sized bed, in dark red sheets and black pillow cases. There was an armchair to the other side of the room near the closet, in a corner.  
There was also a large bookcase built into the wall near her closet. She put her bag in the chair at the table and unzipped it, pulling her wolf blanket out, unrolling it and took the sword that was wrapped inside, putting it back into her bag, zipping it back up, putting the blanket on her bed. She heard a knock on the door and looked over as Rose came in.  
"Hey." Rose smiled and looked around the room. "Looks like she remembers you. Your room is really cool," she said, just a smidge of jealousy creeping into her tone. Rose's room was alright, but nowhere near this lavish. "Ange... last time you were with the Doctor," she said hesitatingly. "How long were you with him? Where did you go?" Rose bit her lip, unsure of why she was even asking, but she couldn't help feeling a little left out. Angel could talk with the TARDIS, and understand what all her random groans and creaks meant. Rose couldn't. Her two best friends in the universe apparently had a history she didn't even know about, and she was curious. Angel stood slowly, facing Rose.

"First off, I hear the jealousy in your voice, I am not here to steal the Doctor from you Rose, understand that, I'm here to travel with you two. Now, where we went, I don't exactly remember. We were mostly among the stars, though I did see a supernova and a few new galaxies form and die out. Oh, and if you think my room it cool, check this out."  
Angel snapped her fingers, the lights blinking out and a projection of the stars and planets surrounded them, they moved and swayed gently, a comet streaking by every now and then. "I was with him about a year Rose, he was my best friend, he still is."  
Rose's cheeks flushed at being so easily read and she looked away.  
"I know you're not gonna steal him..." she said in a small voice. "Not that he's even mine or anything," she amended hurriedly. She sighed. "I'm jus' being stupid. He's my best friend too, I guess... but I mean, you can understand the TARDIS, after even all this time, and I still can't." Rose knew she was being childish, but she couldn't help how it made her feel. "I want to be able to, but I jus'..." She shook her head. "Forget it. The stars are cool." Rose gestured half-heartedly to the projections on the walls and ceiling. She got to her feet and started for the door. "Think I'm jus' gonna.. ah.. see where the randomiser's landed us. Come out when you've finished packing." Rose turned away.

Angel moved to Rose, putting her hand on her shoulder.  
"Rose, listen to me, you have NOTHING to be jealous about. You and The Doctor are made for each other, you and him may not know it yet, but you two are soulmates. You will be able to understand the TARDIS, if you really listen to her. Every groan and shudder means something different, just the slightest difference could mean 'I'm happy to see you or it could mean stay away, its not safe' understand?"  
Rose looked at her friend and sighed.  
"Okay, I'll try," she said, nodding. Then her brain caught up with her. "And hey, we are not 'soulmates'," she exclaimed indignantly. She bit her lip uncertainly. "As if he'd even be able to think of me that way...ugh," she groaned. "Angel, this is so complicated! Even if I did... love him," she managed to get the word out, "How could I ever find out if he felt the same? One wrong move," she held up her forefinger for emphasis, "And I'm sent home."

Angel chuckled, hugging her best friend.  
"Come on, lets head back to the console room." She moved out with her, closing the door. Rose was so blind. Angel could see that the Doctor and Rose where in love. They walked down to the console room, moving inside, Angel smiling to the Doctor. "So where are we going this time around?"  
"Took you two long enough," the Doctor quipped, lounging on the jump seat watching circular gallifreyan spiral across the monitor. He jumped to his feet and made a circle of the console. "Hold on!" The entire ship shuddered, and Rose clung to the support beam surrounding the centre of the room. A loud crash later, and they'd landed. The Doctor grinned. "You're both gonna love it," he said excitedly, seizing one each of their hands and leading them both to the TARDIS doors.  
"But Doctor, where are we?" Rose asked, and he paused.  
"No idea," he said with a laugh, and pulled open the doors.

Angel was pulled up, the Doctor grabbing her and Rose's hand, pulling them towards the door.  
"You don't know where we are? That's new, never expected to ever hear those words EVER come out of your mouth Doc." She smirked at him, moving out with him and Rose. The planet they had landed on, the sky was a light purple, the grass was a deep deep orange, and in the sky, were three planets, the closest one was like Saturn with its rings clearly visible, the second planet was much farther away.  
There were three distinct suns in the sky, one near the horizon and two parallel with each other. In the distance was a large mountain range, and beyond that, was an ocean. "Woah, look at this place."  
Rose's jaw dropped at the strange and beautiful view before her.  
"This place is incredible," she breathed, keeping the Doctor's hand in her own and giving it a squeeze. He looked down and smiled at her.  
"Shall we go explore then?" he suggested, and the three of them moved away from the TARDIS, wandering over the sunset-orange grass. Rose ran her fingers over the longer strands that had grown into waist high patches and with a whoop, went ahead and skipped a few steps.  
"I love this," she said happily, jumping on the spot. "There's so much that exists that we can't even imagine, and yet it's here!" The Doctor chuckled softly at his companion, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Rose, stay close; we don't know if there's natives around," he called ahead, and she waved a hand absently, still gazing at the sky filled with unfamiliar planets and early twilight stars.  
Angel chuckled, walking next to the Doctor.  
"She reminds me of how I was when I discovered a new world Doc, you remember that? You could hardly keep me in place." She laughed. "You even threatened to put me on a leash." She had her hands in her duster pockets, watching Rose ahead of them, also keeping an eye on the large forest to the right of her. "I never did thank you for saving my life Doctor. Thank you for giving me a second outlook on life." She smiled to him gently. The Doctor chuckled in turn at the memory.

"Oh I remember; you needed a leash," he defended. "You wouldn't sit still; you were even worse with running off than she is," he said with a grin, nodding towards Rose who was crouched beside a large multi-coloured flowerbed. "And believe me, she's pretty bad. Saved my life a good few times though." He looked at Angel. "It was no problem, Angel," he answered with a genuine smile and a nod. The Doctor looked her in the eyes. "You stayed alright after we... parted ways? No more attempts?" Angel shook her head.  
"No, no more attempts, promise Doc." She moved with him towards Rose. "Let me ask you this Doctor, what is Rose to you? Is she a companion like all the rest or is she different?" She looked at his face and smirked, 'Oh hes got it bad for this girl' she thought.  
The Doctor was startled into silence by the question.  
"Well she's... Rose," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "She's brilliant; very bright, though doesn't reckon she is; brave too. When we first met she saved my neck after knowing me less than 24 hours. Definitely could do better with not runnin' off like a five-year-old, but can't do much about that..." he rattled off, unwilling to dive too much into the question. "Why d'you ask?" he said, turning the query around. "What 'ave you two been gossiping about; honestly, you're like two kiddies at the playground." He shook his head exasperatedly.

"Oh, no reason." She smiled to him, walking towards Rose, seeing the multicolored flowers. She also thought she saw a flash out of the corner of her eye, turning her head, seeing nothing. She sniffed the air slightly, turning. The next thing she knew, there was a large…very smelly alien running…..no…..charging at them. He was a dark maroon color and had a good two feet on Angel. "Doc! WE'VE GOT INCOMING!"  
The Doctor reacted quickly, grabbing Angel's wrist and taking off towards Rose.  
"Rose, get moving," he shouted, and Rose spun around on her haunches, a look of confusion crossing her features. She jumped to her feet and ran towards the safety of the huge trees, and the Doctor and Angel quickly caught up with her. "Faster, Rose," he muttered, dropping Angel's arm in favour for Rose's, to keep her speed up. He glanced over his shoulder; the alien was gaining. The Doctor was pulling Rose along but she couldn't go any faster; she was shorter than both the Doctor and Angel. "Keep going, we're almost there," he spurred her on, urgency in his voice.

Angel growled, running alongside the Doctor when she stopped, pulling her collapsable staff from her pocket and…turned to face the large alien, pressing a button on the staff and it shot out. She growled at it, it stopping and reared up, roaring at Angel, who…..roared back, twice as loud, that getting Rose and the Doctor's attention, making them stop and look back.  
"Angel!" Rose cried, starting towards her friend but the Doctor wrapped his arm around her torso, holding her back. "Angel, come on!"  
"What is she doing? She's gonna get herself killed," the Doctor muttered desperately. They stood there completely still, watching the exchange between Angel and the alien. She looked so small compared to it, and it roared at her. Angel had managed to produce a spear as long as her body from god knows where, but Rose flinched anyway, her fingers digging into the Doctor's arm that was still holding her.

Angel snarled at the large beast, who went back down on all fours, snarling, going to charge again. She backed up, readying her staff as the alien charged again, she held her ground and when the alien reared up to slash at her with its claws, she ducked at the last minute, stabbing it in the chest. It roared out in pain, swiping Angel across the chest, sending her flying. She hit a tree trunk and slid down to the ground. She didn't move.  
The alien tore the spear out of its chest and snarled, moving to Angel. She wasn't moving. The alien sniffed her and snarled, rearing back to slash her to bits…. when the sound of ripping clothing was heard, a pair…of black wings coming from…Angel's back. That's not all that had changed, she now had claws, and scales covering parts of her body. Angel…..the TRUE Angel, was awake.  
Rose stared in horror as the alien swiped her best friend into a tree, and she didn't move.  
"Ang-" Rose started to scream, but the Doctor hand quickly covered her mouth, muffling the rest of Angel's name. He began pulling Rose, his arm curled around her stomach, towards the trees.

"Rose, don't fight me!" he hissed in her ear. "We're gonna help her but first -" A huge tearing sound interrupted him, and Rose stopped struggling. Her eyes were locked on the creature that had sprung from Angel's body, the thing that must have killed her at some point and taken over because surely that couldn't be her best friend, that couldn't be Angel. Rose's terror sent her staggering backwards, into the Doctor and her knees simply gave out, sending her to the ground for a split second until the Doctor quickly pulled her up again.  
"Shh, shh," the Doctor murmured into her ear. "Don't... move."  
"What's it done to Angel?" she whispered, horrified at what she saw but unable to look away.  
Angel's eyes snapped open, they were…a golden color now. She stood slowly, the alien backing up quickly, Angel snarling, tackling it to the ground, the wound in Angel's chest was healed, not even a scar remained. She snarled, slashing her claws across the alien's face, opening it up like a filet. The alien howled in pain, she slashing her claws across its chest before it kicked her off.  
She slid across the ground, coming to a stop just in front of The Doctor and Rose. Her wings flapped a bit before she charged the alien again, it slashing her stomach deep and she yowled in pain, snarling and punched the alien under the chin, sending it up and then crashing down. It stirred, standing and charged Angel, who jumped…. spun quickly and…..lopped the alien's head clean from its shoulders, with just her wings alone.

The alien fell to the ground, dead, blood starting to pool under him as his head rolled away. Angel held her stomach, wincing as she bent down, picking up her staff. She pressed the button on the staff, it collapsing back to its original size. She looked back at Rose and The Doctor.  
Rose froze in place, but the Doctor slowly moved forward, arms outstretched. Rose could hear him murmuring softly to the creature as he approached it; it resembled... Rose couldn't even think of anything to compare it to. It had large black wings, but the rest of its shape looked almost... human.

The Doctor laid a hand on Angel's shoulder, holding his gaze steady as her golden eyes flicked towards him.  
"Angel," he whispered. Not a question. Claws had replaced her fingernails and scales rippled up her arms.  
The Doctor turned and wordlessly held out a hand to Rose, gesturing for her to come over. Rose stayed rooted to the spot; she couldn't move even if she wanted to, her legs just wouldn't move. She stayed completely still, save for her trembling hands, just staring at what Angel had become, until finally the Doctor went back to her and took her shoulders. "Rose, it's Angel," he said softly, looking her in the eyes. Rose shook her head dumbly, tears threatening.  
"It can't be," she whispered, watching Angel, her best friend. "It can't. What is she?"

_Author Note : So sorry about the delay guys, Thanksgiving and work kicked my butt. Thanks for sticking with me_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Author Note: _So sorry for the delay everyone, work and personal life got hectic during the holidays. Enjoy the new chapter._

Angel moved over to Rose slowly, having secured her staff back on her jeans.  
"Rose, its me, its Angel." She sighed gently. "I never expected you to ever see me like this, either of you. As you can clearly see, I'm not human. Draconis Occidentalis is what my kind are called, or as you know it, Dragon. I am a Dragon." Her wings lowered slowly, going back into the pouches on her back. Her scales slowly disappeared, but her claws stayed, along with the golden color of her eyes. "I'm still me Rose, I'm still Angel, your best friend."  
Rose had so many thoughts and questions running through her head that she couldn't think of anything to say, but she unconsciously backed another few steps away until she felt the Doctor's warm hand on the small of her back. For once, he stayed completely silent. A few stray tears trickled their way down her face, and Rose ran her gaze over her best friend, eying her claws and her golden eyes. She worked to not start crying; a lump grew in her throat.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she managed to ask, arms unconsciously crossed over her chest. Rose wasn't angry; more hurt than anything else. "Whatever you are... you had to wait for me to find out like that?" she gestured to the tree Angel had been thrown against. "It had to get to the point when I thought you'd been killed?" More tears came down but Rose didn't care anymore.  
Angel sighed gently, pulling Rose into a hug, not letting go even when she started to struggle.  
"I didn't tell you because I thought if you saw me, the real me, you would run in the opposite direction. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, I really am Rose." She let her go, running her fingers across her eyes gently, wiping her tears. "I will understand if you don't want to be my friend anymore."

She stepped back from Rose, letting her decide.  
"Don't be daft." Rose sniffed and swiped away the last of her tears. "Of course I still want to be your friend. Jus' cause you're a bit different doesn't mean I'm runnin' for the hills." A small smile crept onto her lips.  
The Doctor puzzled over the whole scenario.  
"Well I've gotta hand it to you Angel, you had me goin' there too," he admitted with a grin. "Draconis Occidentalis! Never would've picked it, 'specially since you picked jumpin' off a bridge out of all the ways to go." He gave her a one armed hug around the shoulders. "Glad you're alright though. Could've definitely given us a bit of warning!" he teased.  
Angel looked up at the Doctor, chuckling.  
"Only thing I could think of was to jump. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you thinking me a freak. I've not transformed like that in years, last time I did I was just a little girl." She looked to Rose. "You still trust me?"

Rose nodded hesitantly. "Yeah... just.. give me a bit to wrap my head around all this," she said. "How come you're not changed back though? I mean, your eyes are still... and your... um..." she trailed off and held up her hands, wiggling her fingers, eying Angel's hands nervously. Rose started to put more of the pieces together. "That spear... that was what was making your bag so heavy," she stated. "The metal sounds... am I right?"  
Angel nodded. "Yes, that's one reason why." She winked at her, she was so secretive. "My eyes and claws take a bit longer to change back. I promise I wont hurt you Rose." She looked to the Doctor. "There's a village not to far from here if we're staying. I can smell food."

The Doctor grinned. "Sounds good to me, I'm starving." He shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking in the direction Angel had gestured.  
"Hold on a sec, are we not gonna talk about the massive alien that jus' tried to eat us?" Rose exclaimed, grabbing his arm and looking back and forth between Angel and the Doctor. "Have you two been here before or something because you seem to know a bit more than you're both letting on," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Rose was starting to feel frustrated and... well, human. Like she was just a child, getting in the way, and she wasn't enjoying it.  
Angel turned to Rose.  
"I haven't been here before, as for the Doctor, I don't know. Come on, we can talk about this as we walk to the village." She smiled to Rose, walking with her. "I'm not sure what kind of alien that is, all I know, is that you and The Doctor where in danger and I couldn't watch you two be killed." The wind picked up some as they walked through the field. She plucked a flower and placed it Rose's hair gently.  
They moved towards a large village, there was a fair going on. "Oh wow, look at all this."

The Doctor snorted.  
"Hey, gimme some credit. I would've noticed that great blundering thing a second after you if you hadn't yelled out like we were about to be bombed," he defended, chuckling. He nudged Rose gently with his elbow. "Come on then, cheer up. No point moping. Coulda been a lot worse; we've been in worse scrapes before, haven't we?" he reminded her, and Rose looked at him reluctantly. She pulled the flower from her hair, smelling it and twirling it in her fingers. She sighed; her mood had been pretty much shot down, but she put on a smile for the Doctor, and for Angel.  
"Yeah, I guess." They walked through the fair, and Rose marveled at how similar to Earth it was.  
Angel smiled to Rose, walking through the village, seeing all kinds of booths and all kinds foods and clothing.  
"Welcome welcome travelers, you have come a miraculous time, we have just celebrated the time of fertility. We are grateful you are here." Angel smiled.  
"Wow, this is really cool, perfect timing Doc." She smiled to Rose. "How cool is this Rose!"  
"Pretty cool," Rose replied with a smile of her own, ducking around the acrobats dancing through the street.

The three of them were surrounded by the crowd, and Rose quickly linked hands with the Doctor to avoid getting separated. Her heart lifted when he gave it a squeeze, and he pulled her and Angel over to one of the stalls offering free testers of what looked like toffee.  
Angel was pulled over to the booth, seeing the candy. She picked one up, tossing it to Rose before getting her own. She unwrapped it, popping it in her mouth, her eyes widening, oh that was good. She asked the vender how much the candy was.  
"For you little lady, five silver pieces."  
Rose caught the treat, unwrapped it, and placed it in her mouth, savouring the sweet taste. She cast her eyes around as Angel chatted with the street vendor.  
"You alright?" The northern accent in her ear startled her and she jumped. Rose looked up at the Doctor and nodded.  
"Yeah, course." She shrugged. "Best friend's a dragon, other best friend's a Time Lord. You'd think I'd be used to this by now."

The Doctor didn't quite know how to respond, and was distracted when Angel poked him in the shoulder, holding out a piece of toffee.  
Angel smiled, holding up a big bag of toffee she had bought.  
"Lets see what else is around here." She walked with them, smiling.  
What neither of them knew was that they were being watched. A male in a dark cloak watched them from a village rooftop.  
'They are here my master, the ones the prophecy spoke about, the man and the two women.'  
'Good, very good, keep an eye on them.'

The Doctor, Angel and Rose walked down the street when a couple kids pushed past them in a hurry to get somewhere. Angel shook her head gently as another child ran by, but tripped and fell. Angel knelt down, helping her up, giving her a piece of candy before patting her on the head and she scampered off.  
The man atop the roof watched and when he saw Angel's eyes, his widened.  
'Master, one of the women the prophecy spoke about, is a dragon!'  
'Are you sure!?'  
'Yes master, her eyes, they're golden.' The male laughed evilly before speaking again. 'Oh the Goddess be praised, this is to good to be true. Watch them very very closely, am I clear!'  
'Yes master.'  
The three of them strolled leisurely through the crowded streets, munching on toffee.

"So how long as this place been he- Oomph!" She stopped as another kid ran straight into her legs and fell back. "You alright, mate?" she asked kindly, giving him a hand up. His eyes widened when she spoke to him, and even more so when he saw Angel; he scrambled away and ran off into the crowd. "That was weird..." Rose mused. She bit her lip in thought, watching the children run around. The littler ones had happy little grins plastered on their faces, but the older ones hung back at the edges of shops and the streets, their eyes wide and frightened. "Look at them, they're all terrified of something," Rose said, nudging both her companions and gesturing to the kids.

Angel nodded, she noticed it too, and she had a feeling why they were afraid of her. She swallowed gently, moving with Rose and the Doctor down the street, trying to keep her eyes hidden the best she could. She searched her pockets and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, putting them on. There was a play going on in the large amphitheater, Angel, Rose and the Doctor moved inside, taking seats, watching.  
A few more dark hooded figures stood in the shadows, watching the trio closely, one watching Angel's every move. She laughed at the comedic play, it was funny. She nudged Rose playfully, smirking at her, making a funny face.  
Rose chuckled at the faces Angel was making while the Doctor guffawed loudly at the play along with the rest of the crowd.  
"This is fantastic!" he exclaimed, a grin on his face as he eagerly watched the play unfold.

Rose wasn't watching the play; rather, watching the people instead. They were more interesting to her anyway. She saw the delight on all their faces, then as one the whole amphitheaters' expression changed to surprise as the play took an unexpected turn. She gazed around; a group of hooded men caught her eye out of the corner of her vision. She stared for a minute, then quickly looked away when she felt a tingle at the back of her neck.  
Angel watched the play, laughing. She saw the hooded figures out of the corner of her eye, she knew they where watching them, it wasn't hard to see. She kept an eye on the play, unwrapping a piece of toffee, popping it in her mouth as one of the players was hit on the head with a breakaway vase, being "knocked out."  
Rose shifted closer to Angel, keeping her eyes on the play.  
"You can see them, right?" she murmured, hoping Angel would hear. The Doctor shot her a curious glance; he had heard her. She waved a hand, shrugging nonchalantly, shooting him a look in turn that said Leave it, I'll explain later.

He grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes; he knew something was up but he trusted Rose so he turned back to the play. Rose turned her attention back to Angel, trying her best to be subtle. "Ange?"  
"Yes, I can see them Rose, they're watching us. There are four males and two females. Keep your eyes on the play, don't draw attention to yourself." She whispered. Angel could smell everyone in the amphitheater, but the ones that stood out where the ones in the hood, they smelled…..different. The play ended, everyone stood, clapping and cheering as the players bowed.  
Angel, Rose and The Doctor stood, clapping, the hooded figures moved in slowly toward them, Angel moving her hand under her duster, unhooking her staff slowly. They circled Angel, Rose and The Doctor, Angel pushing Rose behind her.


End file.
